By KEVIN NEVERS

Chesterton is one very preliminary and highly negotiable report closer to having a town manager.

At Monday’s meeting of the Town Council, Member Jim Ton, R-1st, presented to colleagues his 14-page report, many weeks in the making, on the process by which the council could find and hire a town manager, if it were of a mind to do so.

Members took no action, of course, having just received the document, but Town Attorney Chuck Lukmann advised them to take a month or so, read it, digest it, and then provide him with their comments on it. Lukmann in turn will prepare a report of his own, incorporating Ton’s document and members’ input, and submit it to the council at its March 12 meeting.

One thread of discussion did emerge, however, occasioned by former member Gina Darnell’s prediction from the floor, earlier in the meeting, that whoever the new town manager might be, he or she will likely fail. Department heads, she said, are, if not exactly “autocratic,” accustomed “to do things in certain ways.” They will probably find working with the new town manager “stressful,” just as the new town manager will find working with them “stressful.”

“Town managers work,” Gina Darnell said, “but you just have to anticipate problems like that. Everybody has to be flexible to that change. . . . And everything is going to change.”

For his part Lukmann gave short shrift to that prediction. “That’s rather silly at this time,” he said, then noted that department heads have indicated to him that they are on board with the program. “The department heads have all said, ‘How can we make it work? How can we make it better?’ I’m not concerned about that. I’ve heard nothing but positive from everybody who works for this town.”

Ton concurred with Lukmann. “It’s clear we don’t have a problem with department heads,” he said. “We don’t need someone to boss around the department heads.” And while Ton noted that there is “a clear delineation of authority and responsibility” and “some legal relationships we can’t change—that’s part of Indiana Code”—what in his opinion the town needs most is a point-person for economic development.

Member Mike Bannon, R-5th, did make one relevant observation. The council would not be able to offer a candidate a contract beyond its own term of office, Dec. 31, and that a candidate who were offered the position may think long and hard before accepting a job whose extension into 2008 would be uncertain. “It’s a big thing to pick up and move,” he said.

Bannon also suggested that, beyond defining the town manager’s basic duties, members would do well to define with some particularity the skill set best suited to the job, including a “set of soft skills.”

One of those skills, Laura DeSousa suggested from the floor earlier in the meeting, should be grant-writing experience. “It would be a very useful thing to have,” she said.

Lukmann agreed with DeSousa and made a note of her suggestion.

Town manager report highlights

By KEVIN NEVERS

Highlights from the report submitted by Chesterton Town Council Member Jim Ton, R-1st, on the process by which a town manager might be hired.

In General

•The current competitive range of compensation is $55,000 to $85,000 per year.

•A town manager would effectively serve as “administrative head” of the municipal government.

•With the express approval of the council, a town manager could reside outside the corporate limits of Chesterton.

•A candidate for the position must be a graduate of an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in public administration, political science, business management, or a closely related field. Previous experience as a municipal manager is preferred, as is credentialing from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

•A candidate should possess considerable knowledge of modern policies and practices of public relations and administration; a working knowledge of municipal finance, human resources, public works, public safety, and community development.

•A candidate should also be skilled in preparing and administering municipal budgets; and in planning, directing, and administering municipal programs.

•In addition, a candidate should be capable of preparing comprehensive reports; of completing assigned projects; of communicating effectively; and of establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with employees, officials, and the public.

Duties

•A town manager would attend all municipal meeting and supervise the operation of all departments.

•A town manager would, with the department heads’ recommendations, hire, suspend, discharge, remove, or transfer town employees.

•A town manager would administer and enforce Town Code.

•A town manager would see that annual budget estimates are prepared by all departments and execute contracts on behalf of the town.

•A town manager would be the contact or lead person “in regards to citizens‚ issues, public relations, all economic development initiatives and issues, and any other duties assigned by the council.”

Day to Day

•A town manager would be required to maintain regular daily office hours at the town hall and must be available during any emergency. “No additional compensation shall be provided” in such a situation.

•A town manager would be required to maintain and achieve qualifications or certifications as requested by the council.

Department Heads

•Department heads must “respond to and cooperate with the town manager in the day-to-day operations of their respective departments” and must “carry out all lawful instructions of the Town Council as communicated through the town manager.”

•Department heads who fail to do so “may be subject to discipline, including termination.”

Selection and Search

•A candidate would have to submit a formal application, submit to oral interviews and a references check, and may be required to take a job-related test.

•“It is recommended that the town create as wide a search field as possible,” posting the position on the websites of the ICMA, Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, and the Town of Chesterton’s own.

Posted 1/23/2007